Building and maintaining peace requires the voice and leadership of women. In Zanzibar, however, women are still left behind in the peace and reconciliation processes at the national and local levels.

The active participation of women has been considered to be less important than that of men. Politics in general is often seen as a violent and dangerous domain that is not suitable for women; it is seen as irrelevant, even if they are affected directly and indirectly by the violent conflicts caused by the various current political divisions.  Based on these factors, JUWAUZA implemented a four months project named Tushiriki Pamoja to ensure increased participation of women, challenging attitudes and practices that hinder active and passive participation.

This project was funded by The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) with 27,000,000 Tanzanian Shillings. The aim was to bring a wider adoption, deeper and more inclusive understanding of gender in peace and security, strengthening consideration and recognition of women’s efforts in reconciliation and peace processes in Zanzibar.